(Christian & Jason Dicochea)

8/25/14

“Unheard of means it’s only undreamed of yet; Impossible means it’s just not yet done.”

The other day I was leaving with Christian from the gym and out of the blue, he said “Dad I feel really good about myself.”  I asked why and he responded “I don’t know, I’m just in a good mood”.  I was kind of proud because how often do you here people, much less a thirteen year-old, say that without some measure of overconfidence or overcompensation.  I felt at that moment this was a child who did not see limitations on himself or the capacity his life could offer him.

I guess that’s where great accomplishments, especially those unimagined, start.  We have to feel the greatest connection with ourselves to transfer it over to the mental and physical strength necessary to obtain perfect goals and create perfect moments.  How can we see the best this existence has to offer when we can’t see or feel the best in ourselves?

Part of this individual quest does require a bit of selfishness because such are the demands of being extraordinary.  Surrounding yourself with people and things that lead you to stray from the “achievable impossible” will most likely continue a blindness to the obtainable.  Best to surround ourselves with those that see not only the best in you but what is beyond your expectations.  Be meticulous in choosing those things and people because you are now heading into the time that the strength of who you are, and the commitment and drive of what you know and have yet to discover, will be the foundation for future cherished rewards.

Example: My ability and dream of being a lawyer, minus delay caused by questionable choices, countered by the addition of Deb in my life equaled actually becoming a lawyer when the outcome may have been otherwise.  What would have happened had I had found her sooner?  She saw more in me than I felt at the time and she was unselfish enough to give me the room to be selfish in that regard so that the investment would pay off in the future, i.e., marriage, sons, etc.

Let’s face it, we don’t always feel great about ourselves by choices and decisions we make but we are lucky enough to have people close to us who sometimes serve as our anchor when we start to drift.  Keep those people close for just those times – you will need them and you can trust them when you need their support and guidance.  Do not assume that what others want for themselves through their own desires or needs fit into your equation – it doesn’t work that way and no matter how creative you want to be to justify it, the math does not add up.  You own your own life and hence your own choices. Thus it demands your courage to make sometimes the most unpopular decisions to those around you but still the most popular decision to the voter that ultimately matters – YOU!  I did not raise “wusses” so don’t act like one – the strongest quality about you is the measure of individuality you exhibit!

Find the best in you, maintain it for as long as you are able, channel it towards the best available to you, and discover that which was once beyond your horizon.  It’s funny (maybe not so funny) but since my injury, I have felt that way more frequently and I feel sometimes guilty for the amount of undefinable happiness I feel.  I do see more than what I should have imagined before and though I may share it in odd ways, at least I share and rest assured it is genuine.  That’s the bottom line I guess.  Find the path to feel the best about yourself, embrace and cherish it, use it, share it, and then you’ll feel good just about almost everything large and small.  We can only give to others based on what we reserve and allow to give to ourselves.  Good luck!